1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to circuit testing devices and more particularly pertains to a tester operable to confirm the proper functioning of vehicle antennas which are power operated.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of circuit testers for power operated vehicle antennas is known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,172, which issued to William Strand on Jun. 13, 1978, discloses a vehicle antenna tester that is particularly useful in testing antenna wire assemblies before and after installation in a vehicle. The tester utilizes a plurality of selectively operable lamps which can be utilized to indicate faulty grounding of a shielding conductor, breaks in continuity in a feed wire and antenna proper, and leakage passing between the antenna and an isolated conductor either to chassis ground or the shielding conductor.
Another prior art patent of interest is U.S Pat. No. 2,476,509, which issued to Lovell Bryant et al on Jun. 30, 1981. The Bryant et al patent is direct to a probe for testing the conductor of an antenna windshield. The continuity of antenna wires is tested by connecting the wires to a signal generator and when the probe moves over a break in a wire, no signal is picked up by the probe which then provides for an indication of such loss of signal.
While both of these prior art devices are functional for their intended purposes, both are rather complex in construction so as to make them potentially deficient from a commercial marketing standpoint and further, neither of these prior art devices provide for an easy and reliable means of remotely receiving tester information when the use thereof is possibly necessitated beneath the dashboard of a vehicle.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for new and improved vehicle antenna testers which can be cheaply manufactured and reliably used, especially in situations where a user must receive tester information from a remote and inconvenient location. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.